Reflect Me

by K. B. Webb

  What Lizzy didn’t realize was I did have dreams, goals. I had found out from working construction for so many years that I loved architecture. I wanted to build things. I wanted my own construction company, to build incredible buildings and dream homes. That was my goal. But for Lizzy, that wasn’t enough.

  For about three months after we broke up, I had a shitty routine. I worked all day, drank all night. That was until a month ago when my older brother Lucas came to visit.

  Lucas was older by three years and was the only father figure I had ever had. We were raised by a single mom after our dad left when I was eight and Lucas was eleven. Mom worked a lot, so Lucas was not only my best friend, but he felt it was his job to always keep me in line. When Lucas saw the way I was living after my split with Lizzy, he essentially forced me to come back to Monroe for a while, to get my shit straight. “Nothing will make you straighten up more than coming home, little brother. You can stay in my spare bedroom as long as you need, and with all your experience, you can easily find a construction job there. So, pack your shit and get the fuck in the truck. You’re coming home.”

  Who the hell can argue with that? Not me, so I relented without much of a fight.

  I had been staying with Lucas for a month, working construction as a crew chief, and sitting on my ass on the weekend. I could have contacted old friends, but I just didn’t want to. But when I saw Justin buying beer tonight telling me he was headed to Brian’s for the night with his girlfriend to hang out with Brian, his girlfriend Molly, and their new little girl, I agreed to come hang out. I gave Justin my number and told him to have Brian call me with directions. I half expected Brian to not even call; he had a pattern of bailing out on people. But he did, and now I was standing under his carport shooting the shit with two long lost friends, telling stories from our childhood.

  Then she walked outside.

  I knew the purple haired girl to be Wynee, Justin’s girlfriend, so I assumed the dark-haired beauty in front of me was Molly.

  She was beyond amazing, more than beautiful; gorgeous wasn’t even a good enough word. Hell, I didn’t go to college; I barely graduated high school, so I couldn’t think of some high-class word to describe her. All that came to my mind when I saw her was ‘damn’!

  She had on short shorts and a t-shirt that was snug against her curvy body. Her brown hair was piled on her head in a bun with the tint of red showing when she stepped under the carport light. Her skin looked so creamy and smooth that I wanted to reach out and touch her, just to test the theory. Her body wasn’t the usual type I went for, but my God, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. I caught her giving my body a once over, and when she finally made eye contact with me, I was staring at her. Her eyes were glistening in the light, making it impossible to look away. She sunk her teeth into her bottom lip, and for a moment, I was jealous it wasn’t my teeth on those lips.

  Then Wynee pulled her from her trance, and in doing so, pulled me from mine. After Brian made introductions, Molly jetted inside to get me a beer. She looked flustered and almost ran into the house. Maybe she felt whatever was between us too. God, I hoped so.

  I realized I was an asshole for looking at another man’s woman, a friend at that, especially when she gave birth to his daughter a month ago. But Brian James was a dick, and I knew he wasn’t treating that beautiful girl the way she should be treated.

  “I swear she used to be hotter.”

  “What?” Brian’s comment caught me off guard. What the fuck was that supposed to mean?

  “Molly, when I met her, she was skinnier. But she gained some weight, then got pregnant and gained some more. She’s okay though. And I mean, hell, I knocked up her; I guess I’m stuck with her now. Moral of the story, don’t knock up a fat chick, even if she gives great head.”

  He laughed to himself and took a swig from his beer. This motherfucker had to be shitting me. How could he talk about her like she was a piece of trash? This was another reason I always hated Brian; he never was the type to appreciate the things he had. He was the kid who would whine about the presents he got for his birthday and Christmas. Spoiled little bitch. That’s what Brian James was.

  Molly walked back outside and he quickly quit talking. Yeah, he could talk shit about her behind her back, but acted loving to her face.

  “Hey, baby. Is Lyric sleeping?” Brian wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him, in an almost possessive way, and rubbed his hand on the top of her arm.

  “Um, yeah. She’s out and will be for another few hours.” Molly had a look on her face that was a mixture of confusion and disgust. When he began to rub her arm, she looked at his hand as if it was burning her skin. Her look then turned to confusion when she stared at the side of Brian’s face, then back to me. like she was trying to put together a puzzle with a missing piece.

  From the look she still had, I began to wonder if Brian didn’t normally act like this. If this was a show for someone. Him, me, Molly? I wasn’t sure. But if he was the loving boyfriend this gesture showed him to be, she wouldn’t have a look of such disgust and I knew it.

  “Here’s your beer, Logan.” I reached out, and for a brief second our hands touched. Electricity. That’s what I felt when my skin met hers. I heard a low gasp come from her lips, and I knew she felt it too. I knew she could feel whatever was going on between the two of us.

  Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I was not this guy. Not the girlfriend-stealing type at all. Yet I couldn’t deny that there was something between the two of us. I felt drawn to her in a way I had never experienced before. Instant connections weren’t something I had ever understood before that moment.

  She pulled her hand away after letting it linger for a few seconds longer than she should have. After taking a deep breath in through her beautiful, pouty mouth, she pulled herself out of Brian’s grasp.

  “Molls, you ready to come back to work this week? I know I’m ready! I can’t handle Tiffany’s dumb ass for another minute! Last week, she had to fill the salt and pepper shakers before the dinner run and got them confused. That led to a shit ton of pissed off customers!” Wynee rolled her eyes while she said the last sentence, and when she did, Molly let out a loud, audible laugh.

  That laugh. Shit. I was totally in for it. I watched her face as she continued to laugh, and I wished I could record it and play it repeatedly. It was a beautiful sound; she was a beautiful woman. But when she was happy, words couldn’t even describe how amazing she looked.

  “Oh come on, Wynee, she’s not that bad and you know it. It’s just the silicone and bleach has taken over most of her Brian. But, yes my love, I am excited to come back to work with you, but the idea of leaving Lyric is not something I’m looking forward to.”

  “Molls, she’ll be with my mom. Who is basically your mom. We both know she’ll be fine. And come on, it will be good for you to get out some. The boys miss you terribly and you know deep down you miss them too.” The boys? Who the hell were these boys Wynee was talking about and why did Justin and Brian look completely okay with it? I wasn’t okay with it. Not okay at all. I had never been the possessive type, but at that moment, that was the best way to describe how I felt. Possessive.

  Molly smiled at Wynee and looked off as if she was remembering some distant thought. “Yea I do really miss them. It will be good for me I know, but I’m just going to miss her.”

  “Where do you work?” Molly’s eyes doubled in size when I spoke to her. I was quickly realizing this girl believed she was invisible, but if she only knew how far from the truth that was.

  “Ricky’s. Wynee and I have worked there since we graduated four years ago. I’m a waitress.”

  Wynee laughed loudly. “Don’t let her fool you, Logan. She is not just any waitress. She’s the manager, bartender, cook, entertainment, and cleaning crew. Molly is the glue that holds Ricky’s together.” Wynee smiled at Molly and had a look of what I think was pride on her face. Justin had told me they were best friends, but it was almost like they had so
me deeper understanding between the two of them. They shared sideways looks and small smiles that said so much more than anyone else knew. I realized then, that to find out more about Molly, I had to get in good with Wynee.

  “Oh yeah, entertainment, huh? What do you do, juggle or something?” Molly laughed at me, which was my mission with the stupid ass joke.

  “No, I sing sometimes. I’m not nearly as good as the regular band we have on weekends, but for some reason, they insist I sing a few songs every set they have.” She shrugged her shoulders like she couldn’t understand why anyone would be interested in hearing her sing or hearing about her at all.

  “Don’t sell yourself short, Molly. Everyone knows you’re kick ass. You’re the only reason I come hang out at that shithole on the weekends. Well, you and Wynee’s ass in those shorts.” Justin gave Wynee a smile and a quick squeeze around her tiny waste; he then turned his attention back to Molly. “But seriously, Molls, you have some real raw talent. That’s why they have you sing with them every weekend. And I hate to break it to you, my dear, but you’re the only reason anyone comes to watch the band. You’re that good, Molls.” He flashed her a genuine smile, and Molly’s cheeks instantly turned a bright shade of red from the blush that ran up her throat to her round face.

  It was not lost on me that both Wynee and Justin had complimented Molly while the only thing Brian had said about her was negative. He never once piped up saying anything positive about her. I really hoped for Molly’s sake this wasn’t a pattern - Brian being a dick and her feeling like less of a person because of it.

  “I may have to come check you out one night. I mean, uh, sing. Yeah, I may have to come hear you sing one night.” Good job, Logan! Foot meet mouth.

  “Um, yeah, you could come by. I work Tuesday through Saturday and so does Wynee. We go in around eight and stay until the bar closes around two. But the band only comes on Fridays and Saturdays.” She smiled a half smile at me and made eye contact.

  Broken.

  Her eyes showed me she was broken. I smiled back and tried to convey to her that I wanted to help put her pieces back together. Those eyes held too many secrets and maybe nightmares. I wanted to be the person she would share those things with. Her shoulder to cry on. The person who wouldn’t let her down.

  I realized right then that I would give up anything and everything for this girl. Even if I could only be her friend, I would be the best damn friend she ever had. I never believed in love at first sight, but Molly Scott was quickly changing my mind about that.

  “Well, I’ll see you Friday then.”

  I smiled at her again and then said my good byes to everyone, faking exhaustion from working all day as my reason to leave early. I told Justin and Brian that I would make sure we all got together later in the week. Brian walked in the house with a wave of his hand and promised to grill if I came over sometime during the week.

  I gave Wynee a one armed hug which she returned. She gave me a stern look then looked at Molly and back to me. “Don’t hurt her.” It was more of a whisper and I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to hear it as she walked away.

  I turned and looked back at Molly, trying to remember every little aspect of her face so I could dream of the beautiful angel later.

  “It was nice to meet you, Molly. I’m sure I’ll see you sooner rather than later.” I wasn’t sure if I should try to hug her or not. I wasn’t sure if I could let her go if I had her in my arms. Luckily for me, she made that decision.

  “You too, Logan. You’re welcome here anytime. And I expect to see you Friday. Remember, always tip your waitress.” She gave me an earth shattering, life changing, mind-blowing smile before she turned and walked in the house. Her hips swayed a little as she walked, and her shorts were tight in all the right places. Snug on her round, ample ass and tight against her thick thighs. She turned and gave me one last glance before stepping in the house and laughed when she caught me staring. “Night, Logan.”

  “Night, Molly.” How I forced the words out of my throat, I wasn’t sure, but thank God, I did. And thank God, the porch light was now off or she would have been able to see the proof of how much I liked what I was looking at thanks to the bulge in my jeans.

  Later that night, while I lay in bed watching my ceiling fan spinning round and round, I compared meeting Molly to the first time I met Lizzy. There was an instant sexual attraction with Lizzy, but I didn’t have the same feelings like I did for Molly: the need, the draw, the pull. The intense desire to make sure she was happy every day for the rest of her life, and knowing that I would do anything to make sure that it happened. Whole. That was what I felt when Molly was around, whole. Like I was a complete person for the first time in months. I wanted to spend every second of every day getting to know her. Her hopes, her dreams, her fantasies, and I wanted to make every single one of them come true. I had never felt it for another person. I just prayed I could keep my shit together around her and my dick down. Both seemed slightly impossible, but I had to try. I had to find a way to keep this girl in my life for good.

  Shit, I was in way too deep.

  “Molls, it’s so good to have you back! How’s my little girl?” Geo, owner at Ricky’s and my resident father figure wrapped me in a huge hug before I could even put my purse in my locker. Geo had given Wynee and me jobs right after we graduated high school. We were two inexperienced teenagers, who had never had jobs in our lives besides babysitting, but he took a chance on us. Geo was middle aged, average height, six foot, with a round potbelly and no hair. He was Italian and very proud of it.

  He had taken me under his wing when Wynee and I started working at Ricky’s. He always said he saw something in me. Geo was one of the few people in my life who I knew had faith in my abilities. He wanted me to do well for myself and had even started paying for me to take classes online to get a degree in business. I had flat out refused when he started bringing it up about two years before, but when I found out I was pregnant with Lyric, I finally caved. I knew Brian would never be able to support her, so I had to make sure I was able to. Brian didn’t seem to really give a damn about Lyric, and not just in the financial sense.

  Brian was by no means a “hands-on” dad; shit, he barely acknowledged Lyric and would bitch and moan every time she woke up at night crying. He never changed diapers, never fed her, and never even really held her. She was basically my child and he just half-assed it, which is exactly what I expected from him. He was more concerned with his friends, his beer, his pills, and in general, his social life than his newborn daughter. And since his friends were his top priority, spending time with Logan had become a big to do around our house. Since last Friday when I had met him, he had been over to our house three times, and the previous night, he had spent the night.

  What I wasn’t expecting from Logan was his instant connection with Lyric. He constantly wanted to hold her, and if she cried, he usually picked her up before I had the chance. He said she was his little buddy, and he acted like it. He offered to watch her for me while I worked, but Brian had told him it was better for their “bro time” if the “kid” wasn’t around. So she went to Wynee’s mom’s house instead.

  It was now Friday, and part of me prayed he wouldn’t keep his word about coming in tonight, but part of me was really hoping he would. Confused. That’s what Logan Wade made me feel, confused. When he was around, I felt this pull to him. Like this need to be right next to him, breathe the same air he breathed. Feel him right next to me. And it took every fiber of my being to not jump on his lap and taste his lips for myself every time he walked in the room.

  Ugh. This was no good for me, like seriously!

  Usually, I tried to keep some distance between us. I knew Logan didn’t see me like I saw him. He was beautiful, and rugged, and smart, and funny. And I was overweight and insecure. Yeah, guys like that never fell for chicks like me, so I tried to keep my distance so he wouldn’t notice that I couldn’t keep my eyes off him. Or that I hung on every word that came out of h
is mouth. Or that his laugh gave me chills. And I was really hoping he didn’t notice the puppy-love look I got on my face when he interacted with Lyric. I was already worried that Brian may have noticed.

  Brian had a jealous streak and a bad temper. These two things don’t mix well at all. I already had the fist-sized bruises on the outside of my upper right thigh to prove it. He’d said I was flirting with the kid who worked at the gas station. And let’s keep in mind, when I say kid, I meant an eighteen-year-old, senior in high school, baby-faced kid. Was I nice to him? Yes. I tried to be nice to everyone, at least until they gave me a reason not to be. But apparently, I was too nice. So, in true Brian fashion, when we got home that night, he used my thigh as his punching bag.

  Brian may have been a dip shit in many areas of life, but when it came to domestic abuse, he was smart. I never had bruises on my face or forearms. Most of the time, he hit my legs, back, and head. No bruises, and if there were bruises, they were easily covered. Wynee had asked me multiple times if he hit me, and I always lied. I lied to my best friend because I was too scared to admit that I was a weak enough person to allow a man to treat me the way Brian James did. I was too disappointed in myself to share it with her. I made sure to cover all of them when I was around her and Justin, and I wore jeans to work. Problem solved, right? Well yes, until that morning.